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Ending two weeks of speculation, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to stake claim to form the next government in Delhi. The party’s Political Affairs Committee, which met here on Monday, also decided that Arvind Kejriwal will be the Chief Minister.
The party said it got 6,97,310 responses through its Web site, phone calls and text messages. Only 2,65,966 responses were valid, of which 1,97,086 respondents wanted the AAP to form the next Government with support from the Congress. A total of 68,880 voted against such a move. The party claimed that a majority of the people who attended the public meetings also supported the move to form a Government.
Soon after the meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee, Kejriwal met Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung with the Congress’s letter extending support to his party. Jung will seek the President’s nod before deciding the date of swearing-in.
Kejriwal said he and his colleagues will take oath at a public function to be held at Ramlila Maidan. He will have to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly soon after. Though the government is being formed with Congress support, AAP leaders said they would carry on their campaign against corruption at the Centre and various State governments ruled by both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. They said the decision to form the government was taken as the people of Delhi did not want a re-election.
However, an uphill task awaits the minority government. The AAP had promised that it would pass a Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill within 15 days of coming to power. The party had also promised that it would end the “VIP culture” in Delhi by abandoning red beacons, rejecting bungalows for MLAs and Ministers. As a first step, Kejriwal has turned down “Z” category security entitled to a Chief Minister-designate but added that “some help” could be provided for crowd management or security at places.
The AAP had also promised decentralisation of decision-making by convening Mohalla Sabhas . Another major promise was to reduce consumers’ electricity bills by 50 per cent. It also promised that it would bring power distribution companies under the RTI and ensure CAG audit. It said its Government would give 700 litres of water a day free of charge to every household.
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